God: Myth or Reality?

If present day science cannot prove god exists, does he/she really exist? This universal question (other than 'What is life?') makes many question the existence of god. Can one make a dead body come to life and give it consciousness? Does your faith in god diverge to the point where you question His existence?

Atheists often argue that- "there is no entity called God because we cannot demonstrate its existence explicitly by any instrument or logic".

These rational thinkers believe that only whatever is visible or scientifically verifiable is true. Their reasoning says: "as no scientific method can prove the presence of God, why and how can we believe in Him?"

While considering their argument, we should check whether the modern scientific methods of inquiry are capable of fathoming the absolute truth of existence. Had science developed the technique to decipher the 'Ultimate truth', there would have been no need for scientists to engage themselves day and night in any further painstaking, ever deepening research into the mysteries of existence.

The plain fact is that modern science, even at its cutting edge, has yet to learn much more, than what it has unraveled so far.

Who knew about the dormant energies of steam, electricity, petrol, nuclear power, etc. a century back? As the scientific research progressed, these became familiar facets of modern life and technological development.

Scientific research is mainly focused on the physical and tangible domains of nature. Scientific studies in the realms of consciousness are only in a nascent stage in the present. The riddles of conscious and subconscious layers of minds itself have posed daunting challenges before the researchers.

As scientific thinking focuses on the deeper levels of mind and consciousness, it will perceive the subtler domains of spirituality and the truth of the individual self and the cosmic self-spirit or god-self. It is due to the inability of our existing tools and methodologies that we are unable to understand the mysteries of the ground of reality that is called 'God' in common parlance.

Prior to the emergence of communism about a century ago, the state of scientific thinking was narrow, obscure and primitive. This, perhaps, was the reason for the negation of the god or the so-called intellectuals of that age.

But now things have changed; scientific thinking has broadened and deepened significantly. Savants and pioneers in various fields of scientific enquiry are open to the possibility of modern science probing the field of consciousness, which could lead them to the supreme discovery of God. Even now, scientists, who are the true researchers of truth, do not deny the existence of a supreme being as the source and foundation of the supreme cosmic play.

Few decades ago, renowned scientist Richardson had expressed his view that the complexity of enormous problems of the world cannot be resolved simply by scientific instruments or mathematical principles. Neither can the functioning of the human mind be explained by the laws of science. There certainly are horizons of truth that lie beyond the reach of the mathematical or material sciences. One will have to adopt a subjective approach for this self-discovery.

Dr. Macbright's views on this issue could be summarized as- "There is a definitive possibility of a supreme force hidden behind this world which is endowed with pre-eminent knowledge and limitless willpower. Sooner or later we will have to change the conviction of modern science that regards all the invisible and visible activities of the world running independently on their own."

Another eminent scientist Dr. Mordel says- "Science does not approve the mythological depictions or other forms of God presented by different religions. But it appears to be true that a sublime impulse of consciousness is acting at the core of the subatomic world. A universal inspiration seems to exist behind the atomic activities and powers. Scientific proof of this possibility would itself affirm the existence of God."

Over the years scientific thinking has moved closer to accepting the presence of consciousness as the base of creation. John Stuart Mill's views clearly reflect it-" the existence of supreme intelligence could be accepted in view of the grand order and super intelligence used in the system of Nature and the creation of this world." The atheist philosophies and theories of Kant, Hells, Holts, Lang, Huxley, Dante, etc. have now become the faded memories of the past. The arguments and logic used to disprove the existence of God have now lost their relevance and validity. Dr. Flint has countered these prejudiced theories and arguments with a scientific perspective in his book, "Theism".

Modern science has reached remarkable heights in physico-chemical and biological fields along with many other pertaining to the perceivable existence of Nature. If the hypothesis of "generating consciousness from matter by some combination or processing of material atoms or compounds" were true, then it should have demonstrated its reality at least partially in some laboratory, or, would have manufactured a living being or induced life in a dead body by now. (It may be noted that test tube babies and cloned organisms produced by biotechnological advancement necessarily need the basic genetic substances and specific components from the body of a living being.) If life could be generated by material processing, death would have been under control of modern science in this age of ultra advanced technology.

Along with its upward trajectory of progress, science has had to do an about turn and change its convictions outright on many issues. About a century ago, scientific experts regarded the age of the earth as about seven hundred thousands years only and largely annulled with scorn the insights of the Vedic astronomers that stated it about one billion nine hundred seventy millions years. It was only after the uranium-based radioactivity testing that the scientists realized their mistake and changed their wrong notion.

Science has revealed many laws underlying the activities of Nature. However, in most cases only the nature and steps as what happens and the manifested causes are analyzed. A lot remains unknown about the interlinked phenomenon and the purpose of "why" things happen the way they do. For example, the chemical of protoplasm has been studied but "what triggers its natural formation and how?" is still a mystery. Similarly there are ample manifestations of nature's mystery even in our familiar surroundings, which are unresolved or labeled as random outcomes or coincidences. Merely because of our inability to undertake in depth subjective search, we cannot deny or ignore the existence of a supreme creature consciousness as the prime cause of the cosmos.

George Darwin once said- "The riddle of life is as mysterious today as it was before."

Prof. J.A. Thompson opines likewise and observes- "We do not know from where a human being has arrived on this earth? How he has arrived and why? We do not have definite and complete answers to this quest. Neither do we hope that modern science would ever reach at any conclusive answer in this regard."

Eddington writes in his book entitled "On the nature of the Physical World": "We have not been able to know anything precise about any existence beyond the physically existing world. But, there surely is an unknown power that works in the hidden forces."

What we can conclude is that the knowledge of the Supreme cause (God) cannot be perceived with the help of the available scientific means and cannot be explained by the scientific theories developed so far. Modern science also has realized the fact there remains a lot in the latent folds of the unknown, which is far more than what has been discovered and invented so far.

The existence of God is paramount among these unresolved mysteries. Newer directions and approaches of science have begun to hesitatingly accept the existence of Divine Consciousness Force. There appears a silver lining of hope that they would follow the right approach and investigate spirituality as a science.

It is thus that discovery of still unknown forces, and attainment of knowledge of the deeper realms of soul and spirit would become possible. But it will always remain a fascinating and endless journey in the countless realm of light.